Some bookmakers argue that they no longer invest in Série A teams because the values ??are inflated, especially after Vai de Bet decided to pay R$360 million (US$ 64m) to Corinthians in the largest contract of its kind in the history of Brazilian football. The agreement, however, ended up being broken five months later due to controversial payments made by the intermediary of the agreement to an alleged “front” company.
There are bookmakers that are thinking about investing in Brazil’s main clubs again when the sector’s regulations are put into practice. This is the case of galera.bet, which sponsored the Corinthians men’s and women’s teams and was, until last year, the main sponsor of the Brasileirão.
“When we decided to stop sponsoring men’s football teams, we sought to focus on a strategy built on the market context, resulting from the recent inflation of marketing properties associated with football, but which cannot be ruled out in the near future, especially in the post-regulation scenario that will better organize the scenario,” explains Marcos Sabiá, CEO of galera.bet.
The company decided to invest in other areas. Today, it sponsors the São Paulo Carnival, two samba schools, dozens of organized fan groups and also has a presence in one of the boxes at Allianz Parque, Palmeiras' stadium. It is common to see the company's name printed on the walls outside bars around the Palmeiras arena.
Casa de Apostas also does not invest in clubs. The brand is associated with the Copa do Nordeste, a competition of which it is the master sponsor, and gives its name to two stadiums in Brazil: Arena Fonte Nova and Arena das Dunas, in Salvador and Natal, respectively, since it owns the naming rights for both.
“The goal, based on these various movements we have made, is to have a presence in spaces where entertainment is,” says Anderson Nunes, the company’s business director. “That is our main objective. Casa de Apostas wants to be where the joy is.”
This is a movement of some betting houses, not something widespread since of the Série A clubs, 18 are sponsored by companies in the sector. Annually, according to a survey by Estadão, betting sites invest more than R$500 million (US$ 89m) in the 18 elite clubs of Brazilian football that they are partners with.
According to estimates by online traffic company SEMRush, bet365, Betano and BetFair are currently the companies with the largest audience numbers, making them the players' favorites. In the monthly average for the last 12 months, betting sites had 194.2 million visits. Brazil is among those with the largest audience numbers on these platforms, although it is not yet among the largest in terms of revenue.
Experts point out that the market of ‘Bets’ has emerged as a financial attraction, replacing bank exits, for example. The estimate is that the sector invests R$3.5 billion (US$ 623m) in football sponsorships annually. The amount includes clubs, competitions and television broadcasts.
Betano holds the naming rights to the country's main football championships, the Brasileirão and the Copa do Brasil, and is the master sponsor of Atlético Mineiro. But it also associates its brand with influencers, such as comedian Yuri Marçal, and has driver Felipe Massa, currently in Stock Car, as one of its ambassadors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, star of the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA, is the brand's main global ambassador. The idea, says the betting house, is to be “very close to sports and entertainment fans”.
“We want to offer special experiences to all the people who don't have the opportunity to be in a stadium, a race or closer to their idols. So, we put ambassadors in place to focus on interactivity and engagement with the public, increasingly humanizing and bringing the platform closer,” Betano argued to Estadão.
Influencer marketing is a strategy of Betnacional. To attract the attention of consumers, the company recruited the most famous narrator in the country. Galvão Bueno became one of the brand ambassadors at the beginning of this year.
One of the darlings of the advertising market, the communicator participates in advertising campaigns and makes publications related to the brand on his social media profiles. “His association with our brand allows us to reach a wider and more diverse audience,” declares Betnacional.
Home to Galvão Bueno for over 40 years, Globo is also a partner of Betnacional, which sponsors soccer on the channel for the second year in a row. Another star in whom the brand invests is Vini Jr., a Real Madrid and Brazilian national team striker and a strong candidate to be elected the best player in the world this year.
“We invest in athletes and personalities because we believe that this allows us to connect more directly and authentically with the public,” highlights the betting house.
“Our ambassadors have great appeal and credibility, which we consider key points, and we are able to engage sports and entertainment fans in a more emotional way.”
The betting platform has also started investing in Olympic athletes. In one fell swoop, it recruited judoka Bia Souza and beach volleyball duo Ana Patrícia and Duda after the three won the gold medal at the Paris Games.
In music, the brand's ambassadors are Thiaguinho, Seu Jorge and Ludmilla. “These are figures who bring with them enormous credibility, Brazilianness and reach,” the brand believes.
Source: Estadão
